Since my December 2, 2005 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis, I've been on a slow-motion journey of survivorship. Chemo wiped out my aggressive disease in May, 2006, but an indolent variety is still lurking. I had my thyroid removed due to papillary thyroid cancer in 2011, and was diagnosed with recurrent thyroid cancer in 2017. Join me for a survivor's reflections on life, death, faith, politics, the Bible and everything else. DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, so don't look here for medical advice.

Friday, November 27, 2009

November 27, 2009 - Thanksgiving Flu

“Flu-like symp- toms.” That’s what I’ve got – as is only appro- priate, since what I’ve got does, in fact, seem to be the flu.

I was down and out all day yesterday, Thanksgiving Day. We had a houseful of friends and relatives, but I remained sequestered upstairs, in our bedroom, tracing with my shuffling feet a well-beaten path to the bathroom.

I’d thought I might don a breathing mask and venture downstairs briefly to greet our guests (the mask would have been for their protection, not mine). I didn’t feel up to even that.

“Flu-like symptoms” is how doctors often describe the side-effects of chemotherapy. I realize, now, how apropos that is. The queasiness, the weakness, the muscle aches – it’s all come back to me. It’s like I was right in the middle of chemo again (except for the hair loss, of course, and the metallic taste in the back of my mouth).

Since concluding my chemo in May of 2006, I’ve been pretty healthy. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid the flu for quite a number of years. This year, I got an H1N1 vaccination (the lymphoma qualifies me for the high-risk group), but I procrastinated on getting the seasonal flu vaccination. By the time I got serious about it, the vaccine was no longer available. Maybe what I’ve got now is the seasonal flu, or maybe it’s H1N1 despite the vaccination, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s the flu, and that’s all I need to know.

I suppose that, in describing chemo side-effects as similar to flu symptoms, the doctors are trying to put patients at ease. Most everyone’s had the flu at one time or another, and most everyone gets over it. I’d quite forgotten, though, how nasty the flu can be.

I’m on about Day 3 at the moment, so I’m sure I’ll be feeling better in another couple days. It’s been a little blast from the past, taking me back to my chemo days, and that’s just a little unnerving.

About Me

I am Pastor of the Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church, a 450-member congregation in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. I also serve as Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Monmouth - a regional governing body composed of 45 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations in central New Jersey. From time to time I teach Presbyterian Polity at Princeton Theological Seminary and Presbyterian Studies at New Brunswick Theological Seminary. I am married to the Rev. Claire Pula, Director of the Bereavement Program, Meridian Hospice. We have two children: Benjamin, a singer-songwriter, and Ania, an artist. I write two blogs: "A Pastor's Cancer Diary," in which I reflect on my ongoing experience as a cancer survivor (Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, also Thyroid) and "Monmouth Presbytery Clerks' Corner," a place for Clerks of Session and other interested folks with an interest in Presbyterian polity (church government) to gather online.